PORTLAND — Barber Foods is laying off another 79 employees in what the company calls its “last phase of integration” into AdvancePierre Foods, which bought Barber last year.

In June, a few weeks after its acquisition by Cincinnati-based AdvancePierre, Barber laid off 82 employees. It laid off another 71 workers in December.

The latest round brings the total layoffs to 232.

After the layoffs, Barber Foods will employ more than 300 workers at its production plant on St. John Street, according to a news release from the company.

The changes made as a result of the acquisition “will maximize production capacity and ensure the long-term viability of the St. John Street plant,” the company said in the release Monday.

The company said it has improved its packaging process and made “technological advancements (that) will streamline plant and corporate operations.”

Advertisement

“We regret that these important investments in our facility have resulted in job loss,” David Barber, president of Barber Foods, said in a statement.

Employees who are laid off will receive 60 days’ notice and a week of severance pay for every year they worked for Barber Foods, the release said.

Barber has said the acquisition enables the company to shut down its oven in Portland and move production of its line of fully cooked foods to a more efficient plant owned by AdvancePierre Foods in Enid, Okla.

The Portland plant will continue to focus on raw foods, including stuffed chicken breasts and chicken tenders.

AdvancePierre planned to invest $10 million in renovations and upgrades to its plant over a two-year period, Barber said last year.

AdvancePierre, which has about 4,000 employees, sells packaged sandwiches, cooked chicken and beef, shaved beef for cheese steak sandwiches and other products.

Staff Writer Leslie Bridgers can be contacted at 791-6364 or at: lbridgers@pressherald.com

 


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.